Page 111 of Blackwood

“When Dylan died,” my throat clamps around the words, but I force them out. “Everything changed.” The tears come. Hot and sharp. I try to bite them back, swallow the grief like I’ve done a hundred times before, but it doesn’t work.

“Dylan…”

My voice cracks. I swallow. Try again. “Fuck. Um… Dylan was nine.”

I can feel Cade’s grip tighten around my leg. Lex goes still beside me, but I don’t dare look at either of them yet. I just stare straight ahead at the ring.

“Zeke and I were in my room when we heard him scream. We tore down the hall and…uh…” I run my hand on the back of my neck. “One of Carlos’s sleazy friends was standing behind him.”

I feel my chest cave in like a sinkhole. “Zeke lost it.”

The memory flashes—Zeke’s roar, the way his fists didn’t stop even when Vince dropped.

“I grabbed Dylan and ran. Took him back to my room and told him to stay put. Then I went back for Zeke.”

My voice shakes harder now. “He’d nearly killed Vince by the time we heard the shot.”

I pause. A tear slips down my cheek, and I can’t catch it in time. My left leg starts to tremble. I press my palm against my thigh, but it won’t stop. Lex leans forward and covers my hand with his.

I whisper, “Dylan shot himself.”

“Why didn’t CPS do anything?” Lex asked.

“Because the system’s rigged. Kids are a cash business. All it takes is a fake ID, a fake death, or enough money and nobody looks.”

Cade’s voice is barely above a whisper. “Oh, sweetheart, why didn’t you ever tell me?”

I squeeze his hand, then let go. “Because that’s not the whole story. See Vince had purchased Dylan. Theincident, as Carlos so lovingly put it, caused Carlos to lose a lot of money and piss off a very wealthy client and friend.”

Lex and Cade both go still. I take a breath that feels like sandpaper. “A few months later, Vince came back as a fucking District Attorney. Apparently, Carlos made a huge donation and they were besties again.”

Lex’s jaw clenches. Cade shifts like he’s ready to stand.

“Carlos sold me to Vince at a discounted rate. It was Zeke’s eighteenth birthday. He was going to age out and get kicked out of the house.” I shake my head, voice splintering. “He heard them talking. What they were planning to do to me.”

I meet their eyes. “He went insane. Full blackout rage.”

Cade’s breath catches. Lex’s stare is lethal as he cracks his knuckles.

“It was a bloodbath,” I whisper. “Mariela came in before Zeke could finish the job. She grabbed her keys and told us to run.” I pause.

“We did. We took her car, grabbed what we could, and left. We faked our deaths and then we disappeared. Changed our last names and came here.”

Lex’s brow pulls together. “So, you just, moved to New York? How, you were just kids?”

I glance down at my shaking hands, then back up. “I’m not done,” I say softly.

Chapter 37

LEX

The Pit – about to lose my damn mind.

580 Days Since Zeke’s Death

I can’t fucking breathe. She’s sitting between us, tears on her cheeks, voice shaking, and still she says,I’m not done.How the hell is there more?I’ve taken hits from men twice my size and never felt pain like this. Never felt rage like this. Cade looks wrecked, like someone just ripped out his heart.

“After the explosion, we boarded the plane. Our plane, I guess.”